


The Curious, Imaginative, and Sometimes Confusing Tale of Luna Lovegood

by momentarilypermanent



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Eventual Relationships, Hogwarts First Year, eventual linny, linny - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-06-12 23:33:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15351195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momentarilypermanent/pseuds/momentarilypermanent
Summary: Luna Lovegood attends Hogwarts, learns to accept her own eccentricities, meets friends and not-friends, and possibly the love of her life.A retelling of most of the original books, from Luna’s point of view. Mostly because Luna is the best person and there isn’t enough Linny fic in the world.I am also attempting to portray the young characters as realistic ten-year-olds.





	1. September First

* * *

Luna Lovegood woke up to the whistle of a teakettle drifting up the stairs to her room. For a moment she stared at the calendar on her wall, wondering why today’s date was circled in bright blue. She pulled back her blankets, stretched, and swung her feet over the edge of her bed. They didn’t quite touch the floor, so she slid off the bed and landed with a small bounce, suddenly remembering the significance of September first.

“Dad! Daaaaad!” she shrieked as she hurtled down the stairs, “I’m going to Hogwarts today!”

She skidded to a stop in front of her father and grinned at him as he poured two cups of tea. He grinned back, taking in her messy bed head and single slipper.

“What happened to your right foot, little one?”

Luna looked down and noticed belatedly that her left foot was warm and cozy, while her right foot was bare.

“I forgot to put on the other slipper when I remembered what day it was and got excited.”

Luna and her father exchanged smiles and he set the tea down on the table. Luna sat down, but kept wiggling in her chair, unable to contain her excitement for the first day of school. Xenophilius produced two plates full of food and floated them to the table, making Luna’s twirl around her before settling down, much to the little girl’s delight.

Luna paused between each bite of breakfast to question her father about Hogwarts. She had asked all the questions before, and was familiar with all the answers, but she needed to hear them again on the day she was finally going to Hogwarts herself. She listened, enthralled, as he patiently described the castle, the four houses (the most description dedicated to Ravenclaw, his own house) and the Sorting Ceremony. He talked about first-year classes, and told her, as he always did, that it was regrettable that Care of Magical Creatures should leave out the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. She nodded enthusiastically, her light blue eyes even wider than usual.

“Oh, Luna,” he finished, “I can hardly believe you’re going to Hogwarts. It seems like only five minutes ago you were three years old, falling asleep in the sun while your mother worked in the garden. She would be so happy to see you going off to school today.”

Luna blinked. It had been a year and a half since one of the mother’s spell experiments had gone wrong, but she still saw clearly the flash of hideous orange light, the sharp pain in her gut when she knew her mum wouldn’t stand up.

“Time passes quickly,” she said softly.

Her father smiled. “Yes, it does.” he glanced at the clock and jumped to his feet. “Yes, it does!” he repeated. Luna looked at the clock as well, but was still trying to work out the time when her father pulled her out of her chair and set her on the stairs, telling her to get her clothes, he’d be up in a minute to help with her trunk. She bounced up the stairs and into her room, where the outfit she had carefully chosen the day before lay neatly folded on a chair. She stuffed her pajamas into her trunk and put on the purple polka dotted dress, which was long and swishy and perfect for twirling. She pulled on the purple jumper and her boots, and finally picked up the delicate crescent moon necklace her mother had given her for her ninth birthday.

As she struggled with the clasp, her father opened the door, ready to carry her heavy trunk down the stairs. When he saw her fingers slipping on the frustrating metal, he set the trunk down and fastened it for her, his eyes misting over as he gave her a quick hug.

“I’ll miss you while you’re at school. Remember to write to me.” he said.

Luna nodded and gestured at the trunk. “Don’t take that down yet, I forgot to pack any socks.”

She crossed the room and filled her arms with socks, then returned to the trunk and opened it, shoving the socks in haphazardly. She closed the trunk, locked it, and stood back, smiling.

“All set!” she said, and they were ready to go to the train station.


	2. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

Luna had never seen so many people in one place in her life. There were people everywhere, all packed together, all rushing to get to their destination. Luna gripped her father’s hand tightly to avoid being lost in the crowd.

The two of them pressed through the swarm, using Luna’s large trunk to part the endless streams of humans in front of them. Finally they reached the brick partition between platforms nine and ten, and Luna’s heart skipped a beat.

As she hesitantly approached the wall, she noticed a red haired girl watching her. She stopped, not wanting to walk straight into a brick wall while being watched.

“It’s okay,” the girl said, “I’m not a muggle. I’m going to Hogwarts, too.”

“Oh,” said Luna, a little dazed. “You can go first, if you’d like.”

“That’s all right,” said the girl. “I’m waiting for my mother, she has my trunk. You go ahead.”

Xenophilius stepped up behind his daughter.

“Let’s go.”

He patted her confidently on the back and Luna ran at the barrier.

“Ginny, there you are,” she heard a voice say behind her as she hurtled toward the wall. She barely had time to register that the red-headed girl must be named Ginny before she hit, feeling a strange sensation as she burst through onto platform nine and three quarters.

This platform was also crowded, but the people here were waiting, rather than rushing. They stood around in clumps of four or five, checking their watches and chatting with people they recognized. Nearby, Luna spotted a large group of people who all resembled the girl she’d seen on the other side of the barrier. The rest of her family, maybe?

Suddenly something hit Luna from behind, and she found herself sprawled on the ground, with something heavy on top of her. She struggled to sit up and found that it was Ginny. Her hair was caught in the other girl’s buttons, and when Ginny sat up she gave a yelp, making the red haired girl jump.

“I’m so sorry,” she said as she disentangled Luna’s hair from her jacket,

“I was running through the barrier and I just ran right into you! I didn’t mean to hit you. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” said Luna. “I think I scratched my elbow a bit, but it was already scratched from falling the other day, so it’s hard to tell. I’m not badly hurt, in any case.”

Ginny stood up and gave Luna a hand. Suddenly Luna’s father appeared, with a woman who must be Ginny’s mother right behind him. She glanced at the two girls and immediately grasped the situation, pulling them and their trunks out of the way of the barrier.

“Did Ginny knock into you when she went through, dear?” she asked. “Well that’s alright, you didn’t know to move aside. Is it your first year?”

“Yes,” Luna said. The woman beamed.

“It’s Ginny’s first year, too. We’d better move a bit farther, dears, we don’t want Ron and Harry crashing into us when they come through.”

She took Ginny’s trunk, and the two of them went to join the red haired cluster Luna had noticed earlier. Luna and her father moved in the same direction, but didn’t join the group. Instead they stood to one side as Xenophilius smoothed his daughter’s hair and examined her elbow.

“You’ll be alright,” he said, and Luna knew he wasn’t talking about her scrape.

“Look, the train’s here!”

It was. Luna gasped as she saw the magnificent scarlet engine with the gold lettering on the front reading Hogwarts Express. The doors opened and students began streaming onto the train. Luna gave her father a long hug.

“Have a wonderful time,” he said softly. “I’ll see you at Christmas. I love you, Luna.”

“I love you too, dad.”

Luna picked up her trunk and climbed the steps to the nearest door. Before entering the train, she turned and waved one last time at her father, who stood on the platform watching her. He waved back, and she stepped onto the train.

She walked past several filled compartments before coming to one that had only a single girl in it. She knocked on the door timidly, and the girl looked at her with a hopeful expression which vanished when she saw who it was.

“Excuse me, may I sit here?” Luna asked. 

Of course,” said the girl. “I don’t know where my friends are, but we’ll all fit. I’m Hermione Granger, pleased to meet you.”

“I’m Luna,” offered Luna. “Luna Lovegood. I can look for another compartment if you’re expecting someone.”

“No, sit down,” said Hermione. “I’m only waiting for two friends, and the compartment seats four. Besides, I think they must have sat somewhere else. I haven’t seen them all morning.”

Luna lifted her trunk onto the rack and sat down by the window. Hermione was already wearing her school robes, and Luna saw from her scarf that she was in Gryffindor. She wondered if her own clothing was acceptable for the train, or if everyone was already supposed to be in their robes. Maybe first years weren’t expected to be in their robes, because they didn’t know their house yet. Or maybe they were, and she would look ridiculous for not wearing them.   
She was just about to ask when somebody else opened the door.

“Can I sit here?” asked Ginny. 


	3. The Hogwarts Express

Ginny put her luggage onto the rack with some help from Hermione, then sat down opposite Luna.

“I’m really sorry for knocking you down earlier.”

“Don’t worry, I’m quite all right.”

“I’m Ginny Weasley. What’s your name?”

“Luna. Luna Lovegood.”

Ginny smiled, and Luna felt a quiver in her stomach. _Is this what making friends feels like?_ Then Ginny turned her smile to Hermione, and Luna’s quiver faded.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Hermione Granger. Pleased to meet you.”

Hermione was polite enough, but she was obviously distracted. The train started to move with a jolt, and Luna realized why.

“Your friends,” she said suddenly, “they aren’t here. Do you want to look for them?”

Hermione bit her lip. “I—no, I’m sure they’re just sitting with someone else. It’s fine.”

Luna considered this. Hermione seemed worried about her friends, but maybe it wasn’t Luna’s place to interfere with an older student’s problems. She settled for an easier topic of conversation.

“How old are you?” she asked Ginny. “I’m ten.”

“I’m eleven,” replied Ginny with a smile.   
Luna wasn’t sure what to say next. She desperately wanted to be friends with Ginny, but felt that she needed some sort of plan. She had read many books where the characters had friends, of course, but she had never had any herself, unless you counted her parents. Ginny was the first person she had ever talked to that was her own age. Well, close to her age, anyway. Luna tried to remember what the characters in her books had done. The best plan she could think of was simply to keep talking.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue,” Ginny answered easily, “a sort of light blue, like...” she looked around the compartment for something of the right color. Finally her eyes landed on Luna, and lit up. “Like your eyes, Luna.”

Luna blinked.

“Oh. Um, blue is nice. It’s half of my favorite color.”

Ginny looked confused. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Purple,” Luna said, gesturing to her clothing.

“Of course,” said Ginny.

Luna suddenly remembered the question she’d had earlier.

“Are we supposed to be wearing our robes? Hermione has hers on, but mine are in my trunk.”

Hermione looked up at the mention of her name. She had been staring out the window, not taking notice of the conversation around her.

“You should put them on before we get to the school, but we have a long train ride still ahead of us. You can wait a while if you like.”

And with that, she returned to gazing listlessly out the window. Luna thanked her for the advice, but the older girl didn’t seem to hear. She was too absorbed in her thoughts.

Ginny looked at Hermione, then looked at Luna questioningly.

“Hermione’s friends were supposed to come,” Luna explained, “but they aren’t here.”

Ginny nodded in understanding. “Why don’t you describe them, Hermione, and I can tell you if I’ve seen them? I was very late getting to the platform, so I might’ve seen them if they were late too.”

Hermione dragged her attention back to the compartment.

“Um, they’re both shorter than me, one with red hair and one with dark hair and glasses. Their names are Ron and Harry.”

Ginny paled. “Ron Weasley? And Harry—Harry Potter?”

Hermione finally showed some animation. “Yes! Do you know them?”

“Ron is my brother. And Harry has been staying with us for the past couple days.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“They were right behind me coming through onto the platform. I haven’t seen them, though.” A dreamy expression came over Ginny’s face. “Did you know Harry defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named _again_ , last June?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Of course I did. I helped him do it.”

Ginny leaned toward Hermione rapturously, and Luna looked out the window.

“Of course—you’re friends with him! What’s he like?”

“He’s a stupid, arrogant git and I’m _not_ friends with him!”

Hermione’s outburst left the compartment in silence. Luna studiously observed a small insect that was making its way across the glass in front of her, and Ginny fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. The silence stretched on and on, until Luna began to wonder whether any of them would ever speak again. What if they had all magically lost their voices? What if Hermione hated them for talking about Ron and Harry? What if Ginny hated Luna for bringing up the subject?

At long last, the silence was broken by the creak of the door. Hermione stared determinedly at the floor, but Luna and Ginny both looked up to see who had come. It wasn’t a student, though, but a friendly-looking witch pushing a trolley filled with a wide variety of treats. Luna suddenly remembered that she had two Sickles in her pocket, and also that she was rather hungry.

“Would you like anything off the trolley?”

Luna rummaged for her two Sickles.

“How much is a pumpkin pasty?”

“One Sickle.”

Luna grinned. “I’ll take two.”

She handed over her two coins in exchange for two piping hot pasties, and laid them on the seat beside her. Hermione had looked up, and was purchasing a chocolate frog, but Ginny was still sitting very quietly, not saying anything.

The witch pushed the trolley away, closing the door behind her, and Luna waited a moment before picking up one of the pasties.

“Do you like pumpkin?” she asked, addressing the question to Ginny.

“Yes, I do,” replied the redhead. Luna held the pasty out to her.

“Would you eat this for me? I don’t know what I was thinking, getting two. I guess I got excited. Anyway, I can’t eat them both.”

Ginny looked up at her, eyes wide, and accepted the pasty with a grateful nod.

“If you get hungry later,” she said around a mouthful of pumpkin, “you can have half my sandwich. My mum gave me a large one.”

Luna nodded, and continued to eat her pasty.

It was quiet in the compartment for a long time after that, but it was a different kind of quiet now. More relaxed, though Hermione still looked somewhat upset. All three girls stared out the window at the passing fields until Hermione suddenly turned around, and with a decisive nod at the trunks, declared that it was time for Luna and Ginny to put on their robes.

They lifted Luna’s trunk down together and deposited it with a thud on the seat. Luna took her robes out, laid them neatly on the armrest, and fastened the trunk shut again. She then looked with dismay toward the rack. It seemed that the luggage rack had gotten higher, and the trunk much heavier.

“Don’t worry,” said Hermione, “I’ve got it.”

She smiled, almost a smug little smile, and took out her wand. She cleared her throat and pointed her wand at the trunk.

“Wingardium Leviosa.”

Luna had seen magic before, of course. She had even seen the Hovering Charm on many occasions. But it was still startling and beautiful to see the trunk float lightly up to the ceiling. Hermione executed the charm perfectly, and the heavy trunk slid neatly into place on the shelf with hardly a whisper. Luna glanced to the side and saw that Ginny was staring at Hermione, awestruck.

“Thank you,” said Luna. “That was wonderful.”

“Of course. Would you like me to get yours down, Ginny?” replied Hermione.

“Yes, please.” said Ginny, and Hermione repeated the feat in reverse. She waited for Ginny to retrieve her robes, then returned the trunk to its place. She sat down with a slight smirk.

“You’d better put those on,” she said. “We’re nearly to Hogwarts.”


	4. The Sorting Ceremony

When the train finally stopped, Hermione said goodbye to the younger girls and headed off, following the rush of older students. Luna watched her make her way toward a row of carriages, and was glad that she and the other first years would be taking boats. The horses pulling the carriages were dark and skeletal, with huge bat-like wings. Most of the students seemed completely unperturbed as they climbed into the carriages though, and Luna supposed they must be used to the creatures.

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over this way!”

Luna turned towards the voice and followed it to a man who towered over the crowd of children. He was gathering all of the first years together and placing them in small wooden boats. Luna walked toward him, with Ginny by her side. When they reached the front of the line, the gigantic man gestured at an empty boat and Ginny and Luna climbed in. They were joined by a tall girl with frizzy brown hair and a shorter girl who was fizzing with excitement. As soon as the boat pushed off she began to talk.

“I’m Tiffani, and this is Caitriona,” she began. “I am positively  _ dying  _ to get to Hogwarts. I mean, ever since I got my letter I’ve been running around trying to get  _ everything  _ ready, getting all my new clothes, and books, and my  _ wand!  _ It’s birch wood and mermaid hair, eleven and one eighth inches.  _ Mermaid  _ hair! A month ago I had no idea mermaids even  _ existed!” _

Caitriona broke in at this point to ask what the other girls’ names were.

“I’m Ginny, this is Luna.” said Ginny.

Any further conversation was prevented by the appearance of the castle. It was tall and dark against the windy gray sky, and Luna was certain that every single light in the castle was lit. Windows blazed golden in every tower. Luna could hear gasps and cries of delight floating from all the boats around her. Everyone was excited to see the castle they would be spending most of the next seven years of their lives in.

As they watched, the castle grew nearer and nearer, until they finally reached the dock. The giant man who had put them all onto the boats guided them again, this time forming a little procession leading up to the front doors of the castle. There, they were met by a tall and imposing woman with gray hair and a stern face. She cleared her throat, and the entire crowd of first-years fell silent.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” she said. “In a moment, you will enter the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting Ceremony is a very old tradition at Hogwarts, dating back to the four founders, after whom the four Houses are named. The Houses are as follows: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Once you have been sorted, you will join your House at its table, and after the feast your prefect will escort you to your dormitories. And now, let the Sorting Ceremony begin.”

She swung open the giant oak doors, and Luna stood on tiptoe to catch her very first glimpse of the Great Hall. It was enormous, with four long tables running toward the back of the hall, where the head table stood. Most of the tables were already populated with students, and as the crowd of first years walked down the center of the hall, Luna noticed that they were divided by color. 

The cluster of first years came to a stop in the center of the hall, and the teacher who had welcomed them appeared again, carrying a small wooden stool and an ancient patched hat. She set the stool down, and laid the hat on it with care.

Luna leaned forward to get a better view, and sure enough, the hat began to sing, just like her father had said. She looked around the hall, checking that everything else matched his description. The ceiling really  _ did  _ look like stars!  _ How did they do that?  _ Luna wondered.  _ Is it a spell in the paint?  _

She was still standing with her head back, staring at the ceiling, when the hat finished its song. Ginny nudged her, and she returned her attention to the stool.

“Allsopp, Shelby.”

A girl with pale red hair stepped forward, looking nervous. The teacher picked up the hat and gestured to the stool. Shelby sat down, and squeezed her eyes shut as the teacher placed the hat on her head. Two seconds of complete silence passed.

“HUFFLEPUFF!” the hat shouted, and Shelby Allsopp ran off to join the table in yellow. That table had burst into thunderous applause when the hat had made its announcement, and Luna could see the older students shaking Shelby’s hand and grinning at her as she sat down.

“Beck, Celia.”

This girl went to Slytherin, and Luna watched her join the green-clad table. The Slytherin students were less effusive in their welcome than the Hufflepuffs had been, but looked happy to receive their first new student of the year.

Another Slytherin, then another Hufflepuff, and then it was Tiffani’s turn to be sorted. 

“I’m  _ so glad  _ my name begins with H,” she whispered as she edged past Luna and Ginny on her way to the front. “I would  _ hate  _ having to wait until the very end of the alphabet!”

Ginny rolled her eyes, and Luna wondered what her last name was.  _ Maybe it begins with a Z. _

Tiffani sat on the stool for a long time before the hat finally called out “GRYFFINDOR!”

The table at the far right of the hall cheered louder than anyone else. They hooted, screetched, clapped, and banged on the table. Luna noticed one, however, who was sitting quite still. Hermione was surrounded by joyful Gryffindors, but looked completely alone. It was too far for Luna to see clearly, but she was clearly still upset about the disappearance of her two friends. 

Luna watched Hermione as “Huxtable, Hannah” became the first new Ravenclaw, and “Kearney, Ethan” followed her.  _ But K is right before L, which means--  _

“Lovegood, Luna.”

She glanced at Ginny, who smiled encouragingly at her, and stepped forward, out of the reduced clump of students. She sat down on the stool, lifted her chin high, and felt the hat descend onto her head.

“My my, aren’t you a curious one,” said a voice. “Artistic, creative, thoughtful, but with a strong desire and capacity for loyal friendship. You would do well in Ravenclaw, or perhaps Hufflepuff...they may be more accepting of you there.”

_ Accepting? Why do they need to be accepting? _

The hat chuckled. “Well, my dear, you stand out. A bit...eccentric, shall we say?”

_ I want Ravenclaw. They’ll accept me. I won’t be eccentric. _

“Stubborn, I see. Very well. I wish you the best of luck in...RAVENCLAW!”

The last word echoed through the hall, and the blue table cheered as Luna removed the hat and took her seat. Luna joined the cheering when “Marston, Tasha” and “Ott, Alex” joined Ravenclaw, and again when Caitriona came to sit next to her. She looked around and tried to cheer exactly as the others were cheering, tried to be as much like everyone else as possible.

Soon, Ginny was the only person left to be sorted. She began walking toward the stool even before her name was called, and when she sat down, went instantly to Gryffindor. Ginny grinned, and Luna clapped for her, even though she wasn’t a Ravenclaw and, to be honest, Luna was sad that they had been separated.

She stopped clapping when she noticed the other Ravenclaws giving her quizzical looks.


	5. The Dormitory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is really sad I’m sorry

After Luna had filled herself with as much delicious food as she could possibly fit, one of the Ravenclaw prefects, a girl named Penelope who had introduced herself at the start of the meal, led the first years out of the Great Hall and through many lesser halls (Luna was certain she’d never find her way back) up to a set of spiral stairs.

“The Ravenclaw common room and dormitories are at the top of this tower,” Penelope said. “It’s a lot of stairs, so I’m going to show you a little trick you can use if you’re running late, or for some reason can’t go up the stairs.”

She took out her wand and tapped one of the thin columns that supported the handrail.

“Elevaris scalaria,” she said clearly. “Everyone get on now, quickly.”

The first years piled onto the bottom two steps just in time, and the staircase began to twist, moving upward in a corkscrew motion. Luna’s fellow first years gasped, and Penelope looked smug. Within a minute, they had reached the top of the tower. The staircase stopped, and Penelope gathered the younger students around a plain wooden door. It had a bronze knocker on it in the shape of an eagle, which Luna knew was Ravenclaw’s symbol. The prefect raised the knocker and let it drop, making a resounding thus on the wooden door.

_I should really get used to objects talking_ , Luna thought as the knocker began to speak.

“When I am filled, I can point the way. When I am empty, nothing moves me. I have two skins, one without and one within. What am I?”

Penelope looked around expectantly. “Anybody?”

Nobody spoke up.

“This is the only way to get into the common room. If you can’t answer the question, you have to wait for someone who can. The knocker will repeat the same question until someone gets it right, so just knocking again doesn’t work. Now, does anybody know the answer to the riddle?”

“A glove.”

Luna turned to see who had spoken. It was Caitriona, the other girl who had been on her boat. There was a creak as the door swung open, and Caitriona smirked.

The first years stepped through the door into a large circular room. The ceiling was painted with stars, like the Great Hall, except these stars had lines and curves connecting them. They formed patterns and shapes that swirled across the high ceiling, and Luna felt very small as she looked up at them.

As her gaze traveled downward, she saw that the walls of the room were entirely filled with bookshelves, except for the wall directly opposite the stairs, where a fire roared in a huge stone hearth. Wooden ladders were scattered across the room, and Luna saw an older student climbing one to reach a high book. Cozy-looking blue chairs and couches surrounded the fireplace, and Luna could see a lovely plush rug that would be perfect for lying on with a book.

The most impressive, of course, was the statue that dominated the center of the room. She was made of marble and reached almost to the ceiling. One hand was held up to her shoulder, curling protectively around a book, and the other fell comfortably at her side. Luna thought she had never seen anyone so peaceful, until she looked at the statue’s face.

Her face was beautiful, and wise, but it also held a look of intangible sadness that Luna was unable to describe or pinpoint. She wasn’t even sure what part of the face held the sorrow, or how exactly she knew the statue was sad. But sad she certainly was. Luna stared at her, oblivious to Penelope’s explanations, until the other first years had all drifted away to their dormitories.

“Ehm,” Penelope coughed, “you should probably go to bed. You’ll be starting classes tomorrow. Did you hear me explaining where your room is?”

“No,” said Luna, “I was looking at this statue. Is it Rowena Ravenclaw?”

Penelope beamed. “Yes, it is! It’s a beautiful statue, isn’t it?”

“Oh yes. Very beautiful. But I think she’s sad.”

Penelope gazed up at the marble figure. “You know, I think you’re right. I hadn’t thought about it before. What’s your name?”

“I’m Luna.”

“Well it’s very nice to meet you, Luna. I think you’ll be a credit to Ravenclaw. And now, it’s really time for you to join the other first years upstairs and go to sleep. Girls’ dorms are up the stairs to the left.”

Luna thanked Penelope and left, climbing up the stairs to find a short curving hall lined with doors. Each door held several names engraved in bronze lettering. Hers was the last door.

She went in, and found that four of the five beds were already occupied.

“What took you so long?” asked a voice. Luna recognized Caitriona from the boat. The other girls she had seen at dinner, but couldn’t recall any of their names. She decided to play it safe and address her response to Caitriona, since they had already been introduced.

“I was just looking at the statue in the common room.”

“For all that time?”

“Yes. She’s lovely.”

“Oooooh,” said one of the other girls, “someone’s got a crush on a statue!”

Luna blushed. Caitriona laughed. “Staring at a statue is better than staring at me. You have creepy bug eyes.”

“I do?”

“Yes, they’re so big and round, they look like saucers. Or bottle caps. Or moons.”

“Um,” said Luna, “is this bed mine?”

She unpacked her things and got into bed without making eye contact with any of the other girls. Once in bed, she closed her eyes tight and willed them to shrink, to become less round. Nothing happened. Behind her, conversation continued, and she learned that the others’ names were Tasha, Kiley, and Ciara, though with her back turned to them she had no clue which was which. She would have to figure that out tomorrow, somehow, without looking at any of them.

Though it had been one of the longest days of her life, Luna did not fall asleep for a long time. She lay on her side, replaying the events of the day, from her excitement in the morning, to the apprehension of the platform and train ride, the joy of (maybe) making a friend to the desperation of the last few minutes. This led her back to Caitriona, and her comments about Luna’s eyes. Had Luna done something wrong? She’d barely exchanged a few sentences with Caitriona, and had no idea why the other girl might dislike her.

Luna cursed her abnormally large eyes again as she realized they were filling with tears. _I won’t cry on my first day at Hogwarts. I won’t._ She pressed her face into the pillow and tried to breathe evenly. But she missed her father, and her home. She was alone here, the one friend she might have had off in another house. Luna missed the hope and the excitement she had had only that morning. Most of all, she missed her mother. She would’ve known what to do, how to help.

At long last, Luna’s silent crying slowed and stopped, and she lay on her bed, simply looking into the darkness until she fell asleep.  



	6. Wingardium Leviosa

When Luna woke the next morning, she felt much better. Daylight streamed through the large window, spilling onto the carpet, and Luna smiled when she saw it. The other girls didn’t look so bad, now, with their eyes closed and their hair fanned out on their pillows. Even Caitriona looked peaceful, and Luna saw that she clutched a small stuffed turtle in one hand.

Luna pulled her copy of _Hogwarts: a History_ out of her trunk and climbed up onto the windowsill. When the other girls woke up, she was still perched there, absentmindedly chewing on her fingernail, halfway through the book. She left the book there and followed the other girls downstairs, where they congregated by the common room door.

“Good morning, everyone,” said Penelope. “I’ll show you how to get to the Great Hall for breakfast today, but after this you’ll be finding your own way, so pay attention.”

Everyone nodded and began filing out the door and down the stairs.

“Good morning, Luna. Are you excited for your first day at Hogwarts?” Penelope asked.

“Oh yes, I’m looking forward to getting my schedule, so I can see what classes I’ll be taking today. Do we get them soon?”

Penelope laughed. “At breakfast.”

Luna smiled at Penelope, but noticed that Caitriona was scowling. She quickly turned it into an eye roll when she noticed Luna looking at her, and Luna hastily broke eye contact, looking down at the blue trim of her robe. She proceeded to breakfast in silence, and when they reached the Great Hall she sat at the edge of the group. She ate her food quietly, and read over the schedule the prefect handed her with no comment. Her first class was Charms, followed by History of Magic with the Gryffindors.

Luna glanced over at the Gryffindor table, and spotted Ginny in the cloud of first years. Suddenly, Ginny looked up at her, grinning and waving her schedule. She pointed to something on the page, and Luna thought she could make out the silent words “History of Magic” on Ginny’s lips. She smiled back and flapped her own schedule at the redhead. Then Ginny turned away, distracted by one of her siblings, and Luna returned her attention to her breakfast.

***

Professor Flitwick was very small, with a twinkle in his eye that Luna instantly liked. He spoke passionately about his subject, and somewhat sarcastically about others, and spent the first half of class talking about Hogwarts in general, saying it was his duty as their head of house to introduce them properly to the school, and they could catch up next class. Luna was grateful for the introduction, but also grateful when he finished his speech and told them that they were about to perform their very first spell. The class grew quiet at this.

“The Hovering Charm,” Flitwick began, “is a simple but useful spell which can be applied to many tasks in daily life. I always teach this charm at the start of the year, and I expect you to be able to use it with ease within a week. We will begin today with a very light object, and work our way up to a teapot by Friday. Now,” he waved his wand and a soft white feather appeared at every desk. “You will move your wand like _this,_ ” he swished his wand through the air and flicked it down sharply, “and you will say the incantation ‘Wingardium Leviosa’. Practice the wand movement now.”

Luna raised her wand, swished it, and brought it down. The rest of the class did the same, and after a few minutes Luna looked up to see the words “Wingardium Leviosa” written on the chalkboard.

“Try it with the incantation now, like this,” said Flitwick. “Remember, swish and flick. _Wingardium Leviosa!_ ”

The feather on his desk rose into the air.

Someone clapped, and Flitwick took a dramatic bow, allowing his feather to return and rest gently on his desk. “Now, you try.”

Luna swished and flicked her wand. “ _Wingardium Leviosa._ ”

Nothing happened. She tried again. “ _Wingardium Leviosa!_ ”

The feather remained still. Luna repeated the action over and over again, but the feather never so much as twitched. Around her, none of the other students were having success either, until suddenly cries went up at the other side of the room. A tall boy with bronze-blond hair had lifted his feather. Caitriona looked at him in astonishment, then narrowed her eyes and said the incantation again. Her feather rose too, higher than his, and she smiled.

After this, many of the other students began to raise their feathers successfully. Luna’s, however, remained as if glued to the table. She began to get curious looks from the students around her, and felt her cheeks grow pink.

“Are any students still having trouble?” asked the professor. Luna raised her hand, cheeks burning, and felt only slightly better when another girl raised hers as well.

Flitwick came to Luna’s desk first. “What is your name?”

“Luna Lovegood, sir.”

“All right. Tell me, Miss Lovegood, which is your wand arm?”

“My-my left.”

Professor Flitwick smiled. “That’s what I thought. Charms are designed for right-handed witches and wizards, and since most students are right-handed, that is the way I teach them. As a left-handed student, you simply have to mirror the movement shown in order to produce the charm. You have been copying the movement, but using your left hand. That’s why the charm hasn’t worked for you.”

Flitwick moved his wand from his right to his left hand, and demonstrated the movement again, this time swishing in the opposite direction. “Try that.”

Luna raised her wand, swished it outward, and flicked it down. “ _Wingardium Leviosa!_ ”

Her feather floated steadily into the air.

She grinned and brought it higher, laughing with delight as it brushed the stone ceiling.

“Excellent, Miss Lovegood! Five points to Ravenclaw for your perseverance and excellent first try.”

Professor Flitwick moved on to the other student who had been having difficulty, and Luna brought her feather down. She heard the professor repeat the instructions to the other girl, who was also left-handed, and watched as she too managed to lift her feather. Luna lifted hers a dozen more times before class was over, and left the room feeling proud.

***

The short break between classes was just enough time for Luna to find her way to the History of Magic room. Convinced she would be late, she rushed through the hallways and wound up being the first student to arrive. She took a seat in the second row, set her parchment and quill on the desk, and waited for the other students to arrive.

The other Ravenclaws came in after a few minutes, and took their seats. The girls from Luna’s dorm all sat together, but no one took the spot next to Luna. She tried not to look at the empty chair next to her, but as the Gryffindors streamed in and it remained empty, her vision began to blur slightly and she shook her head, blinking hard.

“Hi, Luna!” said a bright voice, and Ginny plopped into the chair beside her. “I found out what happened to my brother and Harry yesterday! They couldn’t get to the platform, so they stole my father’s car and _flew_ it all the way to Hogwarts! They crash landed into an evil tree and Ron broke his wand, and my mum is _so_ angry, she sent them a Howler! Ron got it at breakfast, so I thought you’d hear, but I noticed you weren’t there anymore!”

“I left early,” said Luna. “Your father’s car can fly?”

“Oh, well, it’s not technically _supposed_ to fly, but he says it’s—” her voice trailed off at the appearance of their teacher.

Hogwarts had its share of unusual teachers, but this one was definitely among the most unusual. Luna noticed immediately that he floated _through_ the door instead of opening and closing it, then noticed that he was floating, not walking. Next she noticed that he was translucent, and within thirty seconds she had concluded that he was a ghost. Ginny seemed unperturbed, but the girl seated in front of Luna gave a small scream and dropped her book with a thud. She picked it up, shaking, and the girl next to her nudged her and whispered “ghost”.

The ghost-professor floated to his desk and turned to face the students.

“Welcome To History of Magic. I am Professor Binns.” he droned.

Luna twisted around in her seat to see how the other students were reacting. Most of the Gryffindors looked bored already. One of them appeared to be asleep. All the Ravenclaws were still awake, but most looked resigned to a long year of listening to Binns’s slow, monotonous voice, and were already taking notes.

 _Notes!_ Luna stared down at her blank parchment in alarm. She hadn’t been taking any notes! She could hear Ginny’s quill scratching beside her, and hastily began scribbling with her own. _Dear Ginny, I missed the first part of the notes. Can I look at yours later? I’m glad Ron and Harry got here okay, even if they took a flying car._ She hesitated, then added, _Sincerely, Luna._ She shuffled the parchment to Ginny’s half of the desk, and waited, writing down a few snatches of Binns’s lecture. Ginny’s quill continued to scratch, and Luna wondered whether she would bother to respond to the note. Then, a bit of parchment was pushed in front of her.

 _Dear Luna,_ it read, _I wasn’t really taking notes, but you can have this drawing I did of Ron and Harry in our flying car. Isn’t it neat that Professor Binns is a ghost? From, Ginny._

Luna read the note three times through, then flipped it over. There on the back was the drawing Ginny had mentioned, a simple sketch of two screaming heads inside a car, which floated above some trees. Luna smiled and tucked the note into her pocket. She wrote down a date that the professor had mentioned, and began to write a reply.

_Dear Ginny, what a wonderful drawing! I like to draw too. I’m starting to get a bit hungry, what about you? Sincerely, Luna._

As she prepared to nudge the parchment onto Ginny’s desk, inspiration struck her. “ _Wingardium Leviosa,_ ” she whispered, and the note floated into the air, then spiraled slowly down onto Ginny’s parchment. Ginny’s eyes widened and she stifled a delighted giggle. Luna quickly looked back at her own work and pretended to write.

The rest of the class passed quickly, and Luna soon had more doodles and notes from Ginny in her pocket than she had historical notes on her classwork. When the bell rang, they walked together to lunch, chatting excitedly about their morning classes, and life at Hogwarts so far. They separated with a wave when they reached the Great Hall, and Luna took her seat at the Ravenclaw table feeling happy with herself, and hungry. No sooner had the food appeared on the platters in front of her, though, than her happiness was dispelled and replaced by nervousness as Caitriona sat down across from her.

“So, you finally figured out the Hovering Charm? I saw you using it in History of Magic. You were showing off. I bet your friend doesn’t know you were the last in the class to get it to work, though.”

“I wasn’t—” Luna cut herself short. She _had_ been showing off for Ginny, there was no sense in denying it. “the last in the class,” she finished lamely.

“You were second to last. And you would’ve been last if Flitwick hadn’t helped you.”

“He only told me to mirror it, because I’m—”

“You were doing the movement _backwards?_ Now _that’s_ impressive. It was drawn on the board and everything!”

Luna sighed. Caitriona was never going to let her get enough of a sentence out to explain that she was left-handed. It was better to just give up, let her think what she wanted to think, and eat lunch. She turned to her food with a determined silence, and after a moment Caitriona turned her attention to someone else. Luna spent the rest of her lunch in silence, thinking about Caitriona's turtle.


End file.
